Races, Stunts, and Pixie Dust
by DreamerNightingale
Summary: Meridian Guerra missed her family. They were gone, though. Lost Boy, as she's jokingly called, gets called in by Gibbons in return for their pardons, but comes across a familiar face. But he isn't who she thinks he is. Could he be the missing piece she never knew she was missing? Xander had a choice. Be an agent, or face jail time. But can the situation be any sweeter? Xander/oc
1. Chapter 1

I was trying not to cry as I stared out of my window at the house ahead of me, now only an almost empty husk, void of the family that once filled its walls. Yesterday was Jesse's funeral. Letty, Leon, and Dom had made a run for it the day that he was killed. All because a blond cop got too close. After Vince and Letty had gotten out of the hospital. Vince got caught, though. Mia was inconsolable. She and I hadn't really spoken after the funeral. I guess that was my fault, though. I haven't left my house for much since it happened. _Sorry, Mia. I'm more lost than I've ever been. Even more lost than when Dom first invited me over to that party. I stay by you, and I'll suck the life right out of you._ I moved away from the window, laying sprawled out on my bed. _Maybe I should get some sleep._ My body finally obeyed my thoughts for the first time in days, and my eyes closed.

 _ **The setting looked like everything had been artfully painted in watercolor, a girl staring out into the painted night sky. She wasn't real looking. A cartoon. She's blue... This must be my odd recurring dream again. But it doesn't seem like it's the same. The girl-me- is staring out of her window, tears sliding down her cheeks as she stares up at the stars. She looked down at the house across the street. Where light and warmth once radiated from it, it was now dark, little wisps of smoke coming through an open window would appear. Inside that house, there was a woman that once glowed with such fire. Her eyes once shined as bright as the sun. No longer. She was burned out, her form nothing more than ash and soot, her hair smoke billowing down her back. There is no light. Back across the street, the blue woman touches her hand to the window, watching frost collect against the pane. Her house had never been warm and welcoming. Her home had been across the road, but no more. If she went now, she'd doom her friend to be like her. Cold. Endlessly cold. So cold, it seemed no amount of heat and light and fire could warm her. It would only burn those fires out. The cold was like an like a disease. It broke people down and infected them until it felt like their insides were made of ice. Never to be warm again. Tears fell down her face and dropped to the floor, crystal drops of ice.**_

* * *

It was months later, and I still hadn't had the guts to talk to Mia. That was well and good, because she made no move to make contact with me, either. We saw each other every now and again, waving despite our arms being heavy laden with groceries. Though I ate much less these days. I probably looked sickly pale from the lack of sunlight. If it weren't for the fact I raced every weekend to keep the bills paid, I probably would be doing much worse. I had holed myself into a corner of my living room, reading some dull book or other. I say 'reading', but 'staring at' seems more fitting.

Sleep came in times few and far between, and didn't last long. A week after the funeral, I started having nightmares of the day Jesse died. I always woke up screaming.

I was brought from my blank musings from a knock at my door and I frowned. _Mia?_ No. It was a dark skinned man with a burn scar spanning his entire left side of his face. I squinted into the bright sunshine to see him.

"Can I help you?" My voice was a bit raspy from disuse.

"Yes, the name is Augustus Gibbons." He flashed a badge. _NSA..._ "Agent Gibbons will do. I just wanted to see if I could persuade you to be a help to your good ol' Uncle Sam?"

"If his is one of those things like Jehovah's witnesses, you got the wrong house. Wanna try again?" I sassed, while opening my door further. "Get in. You look like a cop, and I don't wanna be seen with you darkening my doorstep." He stepped inside.

"Miss Guerra, I assure you it's nothing like that. But you have certain skills that could be used-" I cut him off.

"Look, I've got too much shit on my plate to deal with yours, so you'll just have to find someone else. I waved him off.

"That's too bad. I was hoping this wouldn't have to get forceful." He frowned at me. I scoffed before I felt a little prick in my arm. I grabbed at it, pulling away what looked like a tranq of some sort.

"I have bills to pay..." I grumbled before hitting the floor. Before I went under, I heard his voice echoing in my consciousness.

"Don't worry. I'll be sure to lock the house down for you. I'll even leave a note."

* * *

 _Fuck, my head hurts._ I lifted my head to see my blurry surroundings take shape into what looked like a diner. "What am I doing here?" I mumbled, still groggy.

"A couple 'a guys came in and dropped ya off. Looks like you could use some coffee." A waitress answered. I grunted at the information.

"Tea, please, if you have it." I managed through the splitting headache.

"Gotcha." She nodded. My eyes wandered around the diner before my eyes landed on a young man in a fine suit, reading 'Financial Times'. On a Sunday? My eyes noted the watch on his wrist. Cheap. I heard the click of heels and I looked down to see the waitress walking away _in heels_. I blinked in confusion before my cup was set in front of me by shaking hands. I eyed the 'waitress' skeptically.

"Everything okay?" I asked lowly. Her eyes flicked to the man sitting a few stools away from me before she looked back down.

"Yeah. Fine." She bit out before turning away.

I blinked again, the gears in my head turning furiously. I lifted my cup, noting the three digits written down in shaky scrawl on a stray scrap of paper.

"Hey." I turned to the man speaking to me. "We gonna have a problem, huh?"

"Nah, no problem." I dismissed. He turned away from me to nod at the fancy suit before they jumped up and began shouting for nobody to move. The trucker actually pulled out a police issued piece. I couldn't help myself from rolling my eyes, taking a big gulp of my tea. _Yuck, it's weak. And kinda lukewarm._ I wrinkled my nose as I swallowed the swill.

"Get down!" The stockbroker tried to grab me, but I grabbed the salt shaker, quickly popping off the silver looking top before throwing the contents in his eyes and stomping down on his instep. I took his shot gun before turning to the trucker guy and walloping him across the face with my new weapon, effectively knocking him out. It probably only took a minute at most for everything to settle before I could hear clapping. I turned to see Gibbons grinning.

"Well done." He stood, amusement clear in his eyes. "Well done, Miss Guerra."

"Where the hell am I?" I growled.

"It doesn't look like a diner to you?" He asked. I snorted.

"Please. Sure, it looks like a diner, but the people aren't that great of actors." I pointed my confiscated gun to the man I had liberated it from. "Your stock broker? Why the hell is he reading the 'Financial Times' on a Sunday? I mean, sure, it's still plausible, but then he's got a nice suit like that, wearing a cheap ass Walmart watch. Anyone wearing a suit of that make while paying attention to the stock market isn't gonna wear something this cheap." I gestured to the knocked out guy at my feet. "Your stick up man is toting a frickin' police issued piece, not that that's impossible." I shrugged before pointing to the waitress. "But your waitress wearing heels? Not even the dumbest people I know would miss that."

He started to chuckle. "Very good." He seemed amused by something. I narrowed my eyes.

"Let's try this again. Where the hell am I? What the hell is going on here?" I glared coldly with my arms crossed.

"This was just a test. One you aced, of course." He answered.

"Her attitude is worse than the last one's." A guy strode up to me purposefully.

"Excuse me? ¿Quién coño te preguntó, imbécil?" I snarled. He glared.

"The attitude is what makes them." Gibbons chortled. "Let's wrap this up, take it to the next level."

"Whoa, whoa. There will be no next level." I held out my hands in the 'stop' gesture. "I ain't going anywhere with you people. And That tea was awful. I'm going home-" Another sting, this time just under my right breast. I tugged out another dart and groaned. "Shitty service, right there."

"Got wit, that one." I heard before everything faded out again.

* * *

"Fuckin' hell." I groused as I came to a second time. There were men all around me groaning in different stages of waking. Soldiers were further into the metal hub we had woken in.

"Looks like Princess is awake." A familiar timber registered in my mind before I looked up and choked in a rather undignified manner.

"Dom?" I all but whispered. My heart squeezed uncomfortably.

"Hey, what's a sweet thing like this doing here, anyway? Won't she just get eaten up?" That familiar voice didn't sooth me as he addressed the soldiers. It pissed me off. I pounced on him sending a fist into his eye, knocking him on his ass.

"Not Dom." I confirmed to his stupified form, shaking out my hand a bit. "I don't usually give in to the urge to punch him." I stomped away from him, well, as 'away' as one can in a plane.

"Damn. Not so sweet, huh, sweetness?" He grinned. The others were cracking up before the soldiers came forward, standing us in front of the drop ramp, and I felt my blood begin to pound as I heard the ramp lower while we were still air-borne over the other 'diner finalists' smart ass quips.

The soldiers were grinning at us as the others figured out what was happening.

"This ain't right." One of the guys started chanting. One of the soldiers popped the parachute, pulling the first guy out, but I knew we were all tied together.

"I live for this shit." 'Not Dom' declared before the rope jerked him out, too.

"Why me?" I groaned in lament before being pulled out by the rope, and I rolled to avoid collision with their still moving bodies. "Hate this bullshit." I grumbled to myself, watching the plane lift back up into the air and fly on.

"Whoo! Not bad!" I glanced up at 'Not Dom' who was acting like Christmas came early. "Let's do that again." I found myself smiling at his enthusiasm.I chuckled at his adorable reaction. I pulled myself to my feet. It was strange seeing Dom's face in such a childish expression. Dom always seemed to be burdened with responsibility even when he was happy. This guy didn't seem to know what responsibility was.

* * *

People. And they were running. From us. I frowned.

"Holy shit, this is Columbia! Cocaine, man. The coke plants." One of the guys ran forward to collect leaves and I frowned in disdain.

'Not Dom' checked the truck left behind. "No keys." I sighed. _Of course we wouldn't get that lucky..._

"Of course not." I muttered. He eyed me for a moment as the other two were talking about the plants.

Jeeps and bikes and even a horse and rider were making their way to us.

"What is this? Another test?" One of the guys asked aloud.

"Let's go across the river, go!" The other two took off running while 'Not Dom' and I stayed behind.

"I'm ready to go home." I groused, and the bald man beside me eyed me strangely.

One of the men walked up to us, a grill covering his four top from teeth. 'Not Dom' spoke up. "Ya got us, I guess we fail this little test, huh?" Grill guy just smirked and knocked him in the head with his gun. _This isn't a test. Not a controlled one, at least._ He turned to me next, and gave me the same treatment. _Fuck. That's gonna smart when I wake up._

* * *

"I am really starting to hate this whole getting knocked out situation." I winced as I came to. I was tied up, making the whole nausea inducing headache thing worse.

"Nice to see you, too, sweetness." 'Not Dom quipped. I looked at him, hanging from the hook in front of me.

"I'd say 'you too', but not in these circumstances." I grumbled. "And it ain't sweetness. It's Meridian." Just then, a short man walked in, long hair tied back and face scarred.

The boys started cackling. I could see this really pissed him off. I stayed quiet, waiting for an opening.

"Okay, funny guys, huh? Okay, I'll show you what we do to funny guys who get in our business." He unearthed a bloody machete from a table of tools.

"What, hog tie us and force us to listen to your bad accent?" 'Not Dom' cracked a joke, the others laughing.

"No, we cut off their Achilles tendons. Watch'em flop around like marionettes. Unless you have something to tell me. Something I need to know, huh?" The Columbian man waved the machete around 'Not Dom's' face.

"Okay.." He thought about it. "You're really short?" He wise-cracked. The man looked confused. The other two were howling with laughter and I shook my head in exasperation. _We're as good as dead._ One of the guys tried to say something, but it was muffled. "And he says you could use a haircut to update your style. Get off me." He tried to shrug off the hand that was holding onto his shirt. The guy glared at the closest guy on the ground.

"Shut up!" He snarled as he kicked him over.

"Hey, just two seconds ago you told us to talk, now you tell us to shut up? I don't mean to nitpick, but you're the worst at this torture thing." 'Not Dom' just could not shut his mouth.

"Yeah?" The interrogator queried before throwing a punch to the bald man's face, sending him twirling.

"You slap me again, I'm gonna throw you a beating." The Dom look alike informed the machete wielding man. He threw another punch, and he was twirling again. "I hope they're paying you extra for this." The man stopped him from spinning anymore by grabbing a fistful of his shirt. He waved the machete under his nose.

"Ya know what, funny guy? Maybe I should cut off your nose first. Funny guy..." He growled through gritted teeth.

"What's funny is, this actually smells like real blood." He met eyes with me in a mild panic.

"Uh-huh. I hope you like it. Cuz it's the last thing you're gonna smell." The Columbian man growled, winding his arm back to send it to the bald man's face. I kicked out quickly, taking the man's feet out from under him as 'Not Dom' kicked him away. The other bald guy on the ground began grappling with the machete man as 'Not Dom' pulled himself off the hook. My eyes widened at the muscles bunching under his shirt before he dropped to the floor and wrapped his restraints around the guy's throat before ramming his head into a metal beam. I winced before the warehouse we were in lit up with shots. Now the place was under attack. We just couldn't catch a break.

"This was the vacation I never wanted." I quipped, working on my restraints. 'Not Dom' turned me over and cut me loose. "Thanks."

"No prob, sweetness." I noticed the guy he was hefting about had fucked up his leg in the scuffle earlier. _Shit, that's gonna slow us down._

"Move, it's every man for himself!" The dyed blond guy shoved me out of his way as he ran out into the open, toting a brick of cocaine.

"Idiot." I hissed his way.

"Come on." 'Not Dom' nudged me as he gestured out toward the plants. "Gotta run for cover." I nodded, following as closely as I could.

On the way, I found a dropped gun and checked the clip. Full. I slid into the foliage right behind the other two.

"I'm gonna get us outta here." 'Not Dom' said. "I'll get us something to ride out on."

"I'll come with you." They both turned to me looking like I grew a second head. "Look, there's three of us. Any of the big vehicles are already toast, or we'd group in smoke trying to get out of here in one. Our only chance is a few bikes. But you can't drive two at the same time." 'Not Dom' seemed to develop a sense of grudging respect in those moments, because he nodded slowly. I handed the gun to the injured man. "Use this if you get in trouble. Stay here."

"Just try to keep up, princess." He wise-cracked, trying to lighten the mood.

"As a racer, I'm more worried about leaving you in the dust." I threw over my shoulder as I kept low to the ground and scurried for better cover. 'Not Dom' followed behind me.

"A racer, huh?" He checked around us. "You any good?"

"I'd have to be. Can't get my bills paid without it. Not to mention, I have to keep up maintenance. Pixie Dust is only sweet to me if I'm sweet to her." He snorted. As we used a building as cover.

"Pixie Dust?" He looked down at me. "Why would you name your car that?"

"It's a long story, but the short version is, my nickname was Lost Boy for a while." I eyed some vehicles just as they ignited into flames. "Lost Boys cant fly without Pixie Dust."

"Cute." He commented. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, yeah." My eyes lit on a bike and I nudged him to point it out. "What's your name, anyway. I must have missed introductions."

"Xander Cage. But you can call me X. It's what all my friends call me." He gave me a passing grin as we made our way to the fallen bike. He pulled it up, kick starting it and straddling the seat. I hopped on the back and wrapped my arms around his middle. We took off. We were racing through the fields, when we passed another person on a bike before I jumped onto that one. Xader looked back in alarm, watching me usurp the rider with ease and throwing him off the bike as I steered the bike to follow Xander.

"Go! I'm following!" I called out, only a yard behind him.

"That was pretty cool, princess!" He shouted back. The helicopter started shooting our way, and I gunned the engine, pulling up just behind Xander. We were approaching a ramp. On a truck. I knew I was gonna have to jump with him. It was too late to divert my course. I felt air, and then, the cocaine in the truck made a huge powdery explosion behind us. We landed safely, my heart pounding in my ribcage.

We were racing along the fenced in area, praying there was a break, but there wasn't. There as, however, a mound of dirt that would get us air borne to glide through the wire fence on or sides. I followed his lead, trying to swallow my heart back down my throat.

We landed on high ground, and started looking for the other guy. He popped up, shouting and waving to get our attention. Bullets peppered his area and I glared at the man shooting down at him. _G_ _rill man._ Xander jumped, doing one of his tricks to kick the guy in the face, knocking him off his perch. I jumped, still playing follow the leader as we landed back on the ground. _If any of the team find out about this, I'm dead. Especially Dom._ The heat was back on us as we raced past people, trying not to get shot. He paused, but I had already figured out what he was thinking. I sped past, him now hot on my heels, as we used an overturned car as a ramp to jump over the roof of a tin building. The shots behind us still didn't manage to hit us, but it hit the building. And there was something very flammable in it, because the damn thing blew under our feet. The section we were racing down stayed whole by some miracle, and we made it safely to the ground.

We saw the storm drain at the same time and turned our bikes over to slide into it. I was boxed in by him and his bike as he used himself as a shield. I gasped as the adrenalin started to wear off.

"Not bad for my first time riding a bike, if I do say so myself." I managed through giggles. He whipped his head back to me.

"Your first time? You gotta be shitting me! You ride like a pro!" He ogled me like I was a whole new creature. "Can't believe that was your first time on a dirt bike."

"No, that was my first time on any bike." I managed through my laughter. "I never learned how to ride a bike."

"Oh my god. And people say I'm crazy." He couldn't help the full blown smile he sent my way. I grinned back.

"Yeah, well... Let's go get your friend." I wriggled over his bike, keeping low. "Looks like the heat's died down."

"Yeah." He agreed.

We snuck through the foliage, hurrying to the injured man.

"We found some bikes." Xander started.

"Did you get hit?" I asked, checking the guy over. He sighed in exasperation, defeat on his visage. I frowned in confusion before turning to Xander to see us surrounded by camouflaged soldiers. "Fu-" They pounced on us, putting us back in restraints.

* * *

"Very good, you two." I looked up to see the man I'd been longing to knock on his ass.

"Hey, Frankenstein, let me outta these handcuffs so I can beat the shit outta you." Xander greeted.

"Mother fucker, you best believe I'll kick your ass if you come near me. Estúpido hijo de puta no sabe cómo tomar no como respuesta."

"No, I don't believe I do, Miss Guerra." He smiled at my hostility. "Now, you two did an excellent job creating an opening for the Columbian military."

"What?" Xander glared at Gibbons.

"That was my idea, to use you as bait-" Xander threw his head into the guys face, breaking his nose. "Agh!" He cried. I rose up and stomped his knee, causing it to crunch. He whimpered and Xander and I were dropped to our knees by Gibbons.

"Pretty fast for an old timer." Xander complimented.

"Get up, you two. Let's talk." He kept a leisurely pace as we pulled ourselves to our feet to walk beside the scar faced man. Well, Xander was walking by him, and I was walking by Xander. "That really was excellent work. You both passed that test with flying colors. You both showed signs of ingenuity that I've never seen. You both adapt at rates that just aren't seen in our operatives, and your perceptiveness, endurance, and leadership skills are in sync with one another."

"Then give us medals." Xander shrugged it off.

"I'd rather give you both jobs." Gibbons interjected.

"Jobs? I don't know if you know this, but I don't exactly get along with law enforcement." Xander snorted.

"This is an opportunity for you two to repay ol' Uncle Sam for all those freedoms you enjoy. The job is simple. I just want you to meet some people and find out what you can about them."

"What kind of people?" Xander pulled me closer by the wrist. I frowned at the man in front of us and jerked free of him. Just because he looked like Dom and sounded like him, didn't give him the right to touch me unnecessarily.

"Dangerous, dirty, tattooed... Uncivilized. Your kind of people, essentially." My eyes shot up to meet half of Gibbons' face.

" _My_ kinda people?" I asked. "My kind of people? You don't know anything of my kind of people!" I snarled.

"You know what my kind of people would say? Kiss my ass, Scarface." X said, glaring at the agent before us. Gibbons realized that we were both against the idea of helping him.

"Now see, this is usually the part where I pull out my gun and point it to your temples and ask politely. But neither of you strike me as the type to be afraid of death. That puts us in a bit of a quandary, doesn't it?" Gibbons inspected us both.

"Then I guess we can go home." I crossed my arms over my chest, holding eye contact.

"Yeah, I guess we can call it a day, then." Xander agreed.

"Not just yet." Gibbons corrected. He eyed Xander first. "You ever watch lions at the zoo? You can always tell which ones were captured from the look in their eyes. The wild cat." Xander looked uncomfortable, and I could feel myself bristling at the insinuation. "See, he remembers running across the plain. The thrill of the hunt-"

"We get it. You're saying you'll throw him in prison if you don't get him to do what you want. If you don't have something on him, you'll fabricate everything you need to put him away." I interjected. Xander seemed a bit shaken at the thought. I took a step forward to stare at the scarred man. "What kinda threats you got for me, huh? Prison doesn't scare me."

"Actually, I was going to say, _you_ do this... You do this, and your friends can come home. All their records get erased. Not even a speeding ticket will be left. They'll be notified that they can come home. I can't dangle your freedom in front of you, but I can offer you theirs." Gibbons watched me as every word sank in. I could feel tears welling up.

"Dom can come home? Letty? Vince? Leon?" I stared off into space and realized something. "I'll do it. But on a few more stipulations. I get to write a note for them to find. And I don't care how you do it, but you keep my house as mine. I don't care if I'm presumed dead, if I want to come home, I want to be able to go back to that house. Got it?" I stared him down, though my small stature probably wasn't all that intimidating.

"You got it." He grinned. "Now, mister Cage. I can make all your little transgressions go away if you do me this small favor."

"You think, maybe I should be like you. All stand up for the stars and stripes. I bet that flag is a real comfort when you look in the mirror." Xander jibed.

"A small price I pay for putting foot to ass for my country." Gibbons got in his face.

"A country who's leaders let veterans who worked hard to protect their country go starving in the streets?" I questioned. "I'm going to do it for my family, but you should know that if you were to suddenly be no longer fit to serve, your country wouldn't give a damn about you." I gazed at him wit apathy. His eyes turned to me, and I felt a chill run down my spine.

"You might be right about that, miss Guerra. But at least I am trying to protect people when I can." He said before turning to watch a smoking building. "So what's it gonna be triple X? You gonna get on a plane, or is 'kiss my ass, Scarface' your final answer?" Xander seemed to be debating it.

"I'll do it." He said, finally.

"Great!" Gibbons turned around with a smile. "I'll get you on a plane as soon as I can. But miss Guerra will have to meet you there." I eyed him with suspicion. "She's got to get things prepared."

* * *

A few days later, four individuals were opening letters in parts of Central and South America, detailing their pardons. They all got in contact with their lawyers, finding the letters to be legit. One man picked up the phone to make a very important call.

"Hey, Mia. I'm coming home. Yeah. We got pardoned. Yeah. Yeah, I love you, too. See ya soon."


	2. Chapter 2

The car screeched to a stop in front of the two story house. Three other cars had made it to the house before them. Out stepped a man with a bald head, wife beater, and a silver cross hanging around his neck. He made his way to the front door, only to be nearly bowled over by an enthusiastic brunette.

"Dom!" Mia cried. "God, I missed you." She didn't let him go as he shuffled into the house.

"Hey, Mia." He hugged his sister as he looked at what was left of his team. Vince, Letty, and Leon sat in the living room, grinning at the siblings. "Hey, where's Mer? Where's our little 'lost boy' at?"

"I guess she's still over at her house. She kinda shut down after everyone left. We didn't really talk after the funeral." Mia explained, a bit ashamed. Dom looked down at his sister and frowned.

"Alright. We can fix that. Let's go over and talk to her. Knowing her, she's holed up in her room." Dom chuckled. The others got back on their feet and followed him across the street to the darkened house. Dom just grabbed the key under the mat and let himself in. As soon as he walked in, he began to feel dread. The house was stuffy. Despite the furniture not being taken, the house felt empty. "Mer?" He called, walking through the lower level, checking the kitchen just in case. Everything was clean, not one dish in the sink. No food in the fridge. No perishables anywhere. Mia ran upstairs to their friend's bedroom before rushing back down, eyes wide with panic.

"She's not here." She panted. "But her car's still here."

"Dom!" Letty called from the living room. Dom poked his head back into the room to see Letty frozen, staring at something on the coffee table. He strode to her side to check what had her in such a state. He felt his breath get stuck in his throat. A letter. In her clumsy scrawl, it said: _To Team Toretto_.

He hesitantly picked it up, half afraid of what it'd say. He unfolded the paper.

 _Hey guys. Sorry I couldn't be there to welcome y'all back. I'm glad you're getting to come home. I'm doing a favor for some Agent type. Could be dangerous. I might not make it back. If I don't, I just wanna tell you each something._

 _Dom, thank you or pulling me into your little family. I really was lost without you all. I hope you and Letty stick together like glue. You deserve each other, and it's adorable._

 _Mia, I know you and Dom are pissed about Brian, but of all agents it could have been, I'm glad it was him. He saved my family. Now I have a chance to get you all back together. So if he shows up, promise me you'll give him another chance. You can't fake the look he had when he looked at you. Please, just think on it._

 _Vince, Settle down, man. You and Leon aren't getting any younger._

 _Letty, you were everything I wanted to be. And ultimately failed. I wish I had the kind of confidence you did, but I've always thought less of myself. Still hasn't changed. Thank you for putting up with my stupid self._

 _Guys, If I don't come back, take care of Pixie Dust. Maybe teach someone else to 'fly' in her. I love you guys._

 _Siempre serás mi familia._

 _Mer, your Lost Boy_

Dom stared blankly at the paper as everyone read over his shoulder. The letter was dated about a week ago. She had to still be alive. His sis had lived through a lot of stupid shit she had done before. She'd come back.

* * *

~One month later~

"Dom! Get in here!" Letty was screaming from her spot in front of the television, face pale and tears in her eyes. Beside her, Mia was sobbing, and the two men sitting on the couch were suspiciously glassy eyed. Dom nearly ripped the back door off its hinges as he rushed into the room.

" _-bodies were recovered at the scene, that belonged to a local anarchist gang in Russia. The body of one Xander Cage is still missing, though he is presumed dead. One unidentified body, matching the build of one Meridian Guerra was recovered, though the remains are indistinguishable at this time-_ "

Dom's knees buckled under him as he listened to the detached news anchor as his little sister's picture flashed across the screen. "She's gone? No. Nonono. She can't be gone." He could feel tears choking his voice back.

For months to come, Pixie Dust rarely left its parking space. Nobody could force themselves to take her out of her shelter. Who would 'fly' over roads as well as Lost Boy?

* * *

~back a month and week, during in Czech Republic~

I yawned awake as the plane touched down on the runway. The flight had been smooth, and I had the fortune of sleeping through the entire thing. _That was a nice sleep. And no nightmares._ I stretched my arms upwards, popping my back into place. As I stepped off the plane, the cellphone I had been given beeped. I moved out of the other peoples way and flipped it open to find Gibbons face staring at me. "Huh. Not a cellphone, then." I commented.

"Miss Guerra, I will be sending you the address to your lodging, as well as where you'll be meeting mister Cage. Try to wear something that'll help him pick you out of the crowd." Gibbons said in lieu of greeting.

"Nice to see you, too. Send the addresses so I can get on the ball, 'kay? I gotta go find my luggage." I clicked the phone shut, cutting off anything he was going to say. It beeped again, and I checked it to find the addresses blinking up at me. "Nifty." I muttered before seeing my luggage and snatching it from the line.

I was careful to avoid any densely populated areas as I made my way outside, getting ready to flag down a cab. It didn't take long.

My 'lodgings' were sparsely furnished, but kept the chill off, so I couldn't complain, really. I rifled through my clothes that I had bought before leaving. Leave it to men to give me the parameters of 'be a pretty face for Xander' in my mission. It pissed me off, but there wasn't much I could do. I figured everyone here would have a thing for black, so I nixed those clothes to the side. I unearthed a bright red number that hugged my curves and set off my ceylon cinnamon skin. I regretted how cold I was going to be in the dress outside, even with the fur-lined coat. I missed the heat of LA. I pulled out wedges that added three inches to my five foot two. My fern green eyes that were normally makeup free were lined in kohl. The mascara had taken a moment to do, since I really didn't like the brush so close to my eye, but I managed. My lips, I debated leaving alone with just my minty lip balm, but I knew I needed to go all out. My lipstick matched my dress beautifully, and I gave a smile to the mirror. I was glad my complexion had stayed smooth these past few days, because I hated wearing foundation. I combed my espresso hued locks to one side of my head, letting the thick waves fall over my shoulder. _This oughta do._ I smirked at my reflection before checking for lipstick stains on my teeth and leaving, purse slung over my shoulder. I had a club to check out.

* * *

As I was trying to enter, a man was being thrown out. At first, I thought it was because he was drunk or some such, but as I let them pass, I caught a glimpse of his badge. _Why do I feel like Xander was behind that?_

I slipped past the two bulky men that had thrown him out, noting them checking me out. I moved quickly to the bar and ordered a shot of tequila. The bartender just nodded it off, and a woman moved to take my jacket, which I was grateful for. It was warm with all the bodies gyrating on the dance floor. The first shot slid into my hand, and I downed it, flagging the bartender down for another. As I was downing my second shot, the same burly men at the door approached me.

"Can I help you?" I asked with a raised brow. They both grinned at me.

"There is someone up there who wishes to meet you." One of the men said with a heavy accent and pointed up to a loft area. I looked up and saw Xander sweeping me over with a hungry gaze. "We've been asked to escort you."

"Then it appears I am in no position to decline." I allowed. I followed them up, and was rewarded with quite a few leers when I made it to the little room.

"Stand out a bit, don't ya, sweetness?" Xander teased. I gave a smirk.

"Yes, well. I am not used to fashions further up north. Maybe next time, I'll read a travel guide." I joked. The others chuckled.

"Come here." X beckoned, patting the space beside his spread out form. "Why don't you sit with me tonight?"

"Sounds better than standing at the bar." I chuckled as I slid into the offered seat. The others had gotten back to drinking and partying, but one man was sitting close enough to hear us as he drank from his bottle of vodka.

"So what brings you here, anyway?" Xander asked, head tilted.

"Oh, my friends thought it'd be a good idea for me to take a vacation. Had me throw one of those things...um... ¿Cómo diablos dices en inglés? The pointy... Ah fuck." I rubbed my head as I lost my train of thought for a moment. He chuckled as I tried to find the word I was looking for. "Dart! That's it. Had me throw one of those at a map of the world and it landed here. Unfortunately, I don't know enough of the racing scene here to have much fun except coming to clubs."

"You speak Spanish." He observed. The others in the room were listening in.

"Yeah, my mom is Cuban American, but my dad is British. Had me out of wedlock, and he didn't want anything to do with me. Gotta learn to talk to our own family, but English is the 'default' for Americans, so I was taught English the same time as Spanish. Made for an interesting childhood." I shrugged as a waitress sashayed to us and asked what we'd like to drink.

"Tequila." I answered, not skipping a beat. Xander blinked at me in surprise.

"Not gonna have some fruity drink or something?" He joked to cover his shock.

"Tequila is my brand of poison." I chuckled. "By the way, I'm Meridian. I just realized I never got your name."

"Xander Cage." He introduced.

"Xander." I tried his name on my tongue and grinned.

"My friends call me X. You're more than welcome to that." He flirted and I couldn't help but giggle a bit.

"Alright, X. Ya know, I think a friend of mine has heard of you. You do crazy stunts, right?" I queried.

"Yeah, you could say that. And you said you're into the racing scene. What, like NASCAR?" He asked and I laughed.

"No, not NASCAR. Street racing." I corrected.

"You like the racers, huh?" He eyed me up and down.

"Eh, they're alright, I guess. But I'd rather beat 'em than flirt with 'em." I grinned.

"You race?" His eyebrows lifted.

"Yeah. I'm a part of the racing king of LA's crew. It's how I pay my bills." I informed. The bald man grinned at me.

"That's hot." He complimented. His hand ghosted down my arm, and I gave a sly grin when the waitress brought me a shot glass and bottle of tequila.

"Just don't tell my brother I drank this. He doesn't like anything other than Corona." I laughed.

"Secret's safe with me." Xander pulled me into his lap. "Along with a couple other secrets we can keep together, huh?" I leaned into him, enjoying the warmth of his body heat and the smell of his cologne.

"Sounds good to me, X." I purred into his ear. He smirked.

* * *

"This is... nice." I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh, yeah? What's your place like?" He asked, shucking off his boots and peeling off his coat. I followed his example, relief flooding my features.

"Spartan in furnishing, but it's clean. The walls look painted in the last couple of years." I chuckled. He pulled me close for a kiss.

"Yeah? Sounds like I got the short end of the stick." He teased between kisses.

"Mmmm... at least you aren't just seen as a sex toy." I murmured as he pulled me into his lap, straddling him when he sat down, hands under my thighs.

"Just? Are you implying something?" He raised a brow at me in amusement.

"You should have seen how many women were glaring at me tonight. Including that woman, 'Yelena'. You two didn't seem to hit it off for some reason, but she still finds you at least physically attractive. Those women didn't care about your stunts or your ability to put half of the vodka bottle away in a few swigs." I smirked. He grinned before pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it to the floor. His hands slid up my mid thigh skirt, slowly pulling it up. He paused at my ass to squeeze the lace covered cheeks. I squeaked in shock. He chuckled as he slid it up further, past my stomach. His thumbs brushed the underside of my bare breasts and sucked in a breath.

"Oh, fuck." His eyes were glued to my chest as he tugged the cloth further up, revealing no bra. He finished pulling the dress up over my head and tossing it into the growing pile of clothes on the floor and laved attention of first the right, then left nipple.

"X?" I pulled back a bit and his eyes darted back up to my face in confusion. "I... I need to tell you something."

"What?" He asked, scooting me closer while going back to worshiping my breasts. "You're clean, right? I'm clean so you don't have to worry-"

"I've never... I, um... I haven't..." I tried to explain.

He pulled back and looked me in the eyes, a steadily growing awareness in his own. "You trying to say this would be your first time?" I nodded weakly, no longer able to meet his eyes. I heard the loud exhale, and slid off of his lap.

"Look, I understand if you don't want to bother with it. I-... Maybe we don't _have_ to-" I started to pick up my dress before his arms wrapped around me. I hadn't realized I was shaking with tears.

"That's not what I'm bothered about." He assured. "I'm thinking of all the ways I'm gonna kick Scarfaces ass for putting you through this." He turned me around and tilted my chin to look at him. "Do you even want to go through with this? I mean, we can find a way to fake it I guess, if you don't, but there's no guarantee you won't be found out. Fuck, I'm gonna kill him..."

"I-... I do want to. I just... I don't know what to do." I admitted, face on fire. His answering chuckle made my eyes shoot back up to his face.

"Then I'll take care of you, sweetness." His hands wrapped around my thighs, just under my ass and lifted me up against him and my legs wrapped around his waist to avoid being dropped. He laid me down on the bed with a heated kiss. His lips slowly made their way further down to continue teasing my breasts, his hands slowly pulling my lacy boyshorts down with which I helped by bending my legs to get them all the way off. A heat began to pool in my belly, and I wasn't quite sure what to do but whimper in pleasure. His mouth slowly began its trek anew, kissing and nipping down my flat stomach to juncture between my thighs. My breath caught in my throat.

"X?" I looked down at him in confusion. "What are you-?"

"Relax, sweetness. I'm gonna take care of you." Her purred before giving my folds an experimental lick. My yelp of surprise turned into a breathy moan as he decided to dive in, licking and sucking. One hand fisted in the sheets while the other unconsciously reached down to touch the back of his skull as if to reassure myself it was real. My nails softly scratched at the shaven hair follicles, causing a moan that reverberated through my sex and caused sharper spikes of pleasure. My moans reached a higher pitch as I began to wriggle against him. He chuckled before purring against me, sending me closer to some undiscovered peak.

"X, I-... I'm... I don't..." I tried to convey. He met eyes with me before using his tongue to lap insistently against my folds and finding a little bundle of nerves I hadn't noticed existed. He teased it mercilessly, and a wave of indescribable euphoria washed over me. My scream was quieted by his lips on mine, and I could taste myself on his lips, only heightening my pleasure. He didn't even let me come down from my high before pushing himself to the hilt. I squeaked at the sudden intrusion, barely feeling the pinch of being taken for the first time.

"You okay, sweetness?" He asked, completely still as he waited for my still twitching inner muscles to get accustomed to his girth. I nodded mutely as I writhed under him in need. He gave an experimental flex inside me and I bucked against him wide eyed at my own reaction. He smirked, taking that as the green light. Soon the room was filled with the rhythm of the headboard bouncing against the wall and gasps and moans from both parties.


	3. Chapter 3

Two phones were ringing. I roused slightly, disoriented from just waking up. "Go away. Nadie vive aquí. You got the wrong number." I muttered, Rolling over... into a solid wall of muscle. Xander pulled his phone off by his bed and tried to answer.

"Hello?" The damn thing kept ringing. He managed to flip it open. "Holy shit, I thought this was a cellphone."

"Have a nice rest, triple X?" Gibbons' disapproving voice came through the speaker. My phone was still ringing. That seemed to get everyone's attention. "Is miss Guerra with you?" I propped my sleepy head on Xander's shoulder.

"Can you be a little more thoughtful of your agents, Gibson?" I yawned. "We just got to sleep like an hour ago."

"It's Gibbons, miss Guerra. And I'm afraid this has more to do with Xander's part of the mission." Gibbons turned his attention back to Xander. "Who told you to change the cars on that list?"

"Those cars sucked, they would have seen right through it." X grunted as he started to get out of bed. I eyed his back, appreciating the bunching of muscles that moved so fluidly. I carefully covered myself, so that the others on the line wouldn't have a chance of catching a peek. "Ya know, you guys should really think of switching travel agents? I got that info you wanted." The room was a bit chilly, so he slid on his coat. "Hang on a sec." He entered the files he had dredged up with me after our first romp in the sheets and sent them to Gibbons. "Mer and I put it together last night."

"Names, birthdays, ranks in the Red Army, favorite foods... How the hell'd you two get all this?" Gibbons was impressed.

"Kolya. Yorgi's younger brother happens to be an action sports fanatic, so naturally he's a fan. But when you a bottle of Vodka in three swigs, you're gonna talk too much. Plus Mer here was showing a trick on palm reading and was getting everybody's signs and shit." Xander explained. Gibbons mouth was open from shock.

"There was a time that I was on the streets alone. Had to make money somehow." I shrugged. X snickered.

"Oh, and I got something else for you." Xander smirked.

"What?" Gibbons' voice colored in disbelief.

"Their personal bank account number." He informed. He began searching his coat pockets for the slip of paper. "Where did I put that thing?" He muttered. He found it and entered it into the computer. "Stolen cars, night clubs, prostitution, extortion... What's the big deal with these guys? We got guys like this in the US."

"Your job is to get intel, not ask questions." Gibbons rebuffed.

"Well we did our jobs, thank you. Now we're coming home." Xander announced.

"Not just yet." Gibbons corrected. "You're both victims of your own success. We're gonna need you two to get closer to them."

"Hey, they're cool, alright? But they're not that cool." Xander protested.

"Go deeper. And keep miss Guerra with you. If you're compromised, she'll still be there to gather intel." Gibbons ordered.

"Got it." I sighed.

"I'll even send a care package for you, triple X. To help with your mission." Gibbons grinned.

"This wasn't part of the deal." Xander accused.

"You change the cars, I change the deal." Gibbons said. "Do this for me, you can come home."

"Ya know, if you're gonna send someone to save the world, make sure they like it the way it is." He closed the phone. "Dammit, and I didn't lay into him about you." He groaned as he slid back into bed in his thermal pants. He pulled me against him, spooning me and I sighed.

"Don't worry about it. Nothing bad came of it. That's all that matters." I mumbled, wriggling to get cozy again.

"I guess you're right." He muttered grudgingly. His arm stayed around my middle as I began to doze back off. I almost missed the kiss to the top of my head. "Get some sleep, baby."

* * *

"So, how'd it go?" I asked over the video com. After I had figured it out, it was pretty easy, and I'd showed him how to call me. _Jesse would be so psyched over this techy shit._

"I got lot's of new gadgets." His grinning face peered through the screen. "Hey, your place _is_ better than my place."

"Yeah, that's probably because the police guy wasn't in charge of getting my place set up." I admitted as I set to work getting changed. "I'm sure I don't need to show up with you at the deal, but let me know if you need me somewhere." I noted his leer.

"I most definitely will." He promised. "So, you never explained the whole 'Lost Boy' thing."

"When I was a kid, about sixteen, I was homeless. Mom kicked me out over some stupid shit with one of her boyfriends, and I'd been wandering the streets for about a couple years by then. I wasn't all filled in yet, so I guess I looked like a guy with loose enough clothes. I used that to my advantage, of course. Cut my hair short, wore a wrap around my chest to keep everything in place. Anyway, I pass by this garage. These guys are sitting around on lunch break, and I'm admiring this beautiful RX-7. Bright ass red, all the bells and whistles. The business guy that owned it must not have liked me looking at his car, cuz he asks me 'are you lost, boy?'" I grinned at the screen. "I just shook my head no and kept walking. That night, I stumbled on this little get together. Racers. Racers everywhere. One of the guys I'm seen outside of that garage walks up to me and says, 'you lost, boy?' And I couldn't help but say 'only if you're Peter Pan'... Everybody got a laugh from that. He claps me on the back, ant tells me after the race to come with him and he'd set me up with a place to stay. At the time, I didn't know I was gonna be staying with him. It took him months to realize I was a girl. But by then, 'Lost Boy' was all they called me. Now it's either that or 'Mer'."

"He thought you were a guy?" He asked, disbelief on his face.

"In his defense, I wasn't exactly eating right, so I didn't have all the... curves I do now. And I kept my chest wrapped until Mia found out. That's how he found out. She dragged me down to him and in front of everybody just casually tells him she needs to take me shopping for a proper bra. You should have seen the looks on everyone's face." I giggled.

"And when we first met, you mistook me for this 'Dom' guy. That your big bro?" He queried.

"Yeah. You could be his twin. The only thing different about you is the tattoos. Dom doesn't have any that I know of." I glanced at the screen as I rummaged through my bag for the picture I always carried and flicked it to where he could see."

"Holy shit." He exclaimed. "He looks just like me."

"Sounds like you, too." I informed my brothers look alike. "If it weren't for the tattoos and the difference in attitude, I'd say you two were the same person."

"Damn." He rubbed his hand over his shaved scalp.

"Yeah... That's not even the fucked up bit." I admitted.

"What's more fucked up than you getting laid with a guy that looks like your brother figure?" He seemed almost afraid to ask.

"For the first long time in knowing him, before I saw him as my brother... I had a huge crush on him." I blew out a breath as I admitted it. I closed my eyes tight for a moment, not wanting to see his expression, afraid of what I'd see.

"Oh. Okay, I can see how that's a mind fuck for you." He admitted. He seemed almost hesitant to ask something. "Were you thinking of him?"

"No. I don't see him like that. He's my brother in all but blood, and besides that, he's got Letty. I'd never do that to Letty." I looked into the screen, meeting his eyes.

"I didn't think so." He grinned ruefully. "It must feel weird though. Screwing the guy identical to your brother."

"You're not identical where it counts." I said.

"I thought you didn't-"

"Personality! Jesus, Xan. Don't go there!" I shouted over him. He was laughing at me and I frowned.

"Xan. I like that." He smiled.

"Anyway, he's all father figure type. He likes the races, lives a quarter mile at a time, but over all else, he cares about his family. He takes responsibility for all of us when he don't have to." I eyed him. "Not to be a bitch, but 'responsibility' doesn't seem to fit in your definition. You seem like the type of guy who follows the rush of adrenalin without a care of what you gotta do the next day. You don't seem the type to work nine to five to put food on the table for the family. I could be wrong, though. I hardly know you."

"You're not entirely wrong." He said. "But I can work. Just so long as I get my thrills." He winked at me through the screen. "Why don't you come over? That deal ain't happening til tomorrow. Or you want me to come to you?"

"I'll send you the address. It's warmer here. And there's a decent shower with great water pressure." I clicked away at the keyboard.

"Definitely got the short end of the stick." He grumbled playfully.

"Yeah yeah. Just come over here. I'll get food delivered." I stuck my tongue out.

"See ya in a few, babe." He hung up, grinning like the crazy man he was.

"I wonder if he's ever lost anyone like Dom has?" I mused to myself. _Maybe that's what makes him so different. I'm willing to bet he hasn't lost anyone close to him like Dom did. And Dom had his dad to teach him what was important. Maybe Team Toretto could grow by another member... I'd sure be willing to lend the space._

My dream from earlier that day popped back into my mind.

 _ **The blue girl is staring up at a familiar two story house. The house is practically glowing with warmth and light. She hears something behind her to see a very familiar man. His skin glowed with a warm golden brass fire. It was different than the usual rose gold glow.** This dream feels the same as the usual one. But different. **He reached for her, but she remembered the last time he tried to hold her. She had been burnt, and his inner fire had threatened to extinguish. She shied away from his touch and he smiled. He grabbed her hand and she flinched before wonderment set in. It wasn't burning. He pulled her close in an embrace, warming her. He didn't fizzle out. If anything, he grew brighter. No,**_ **she** _ **was glowing. The was melting away to reveal a silver light. She was shining again, for the first time in such a long time. Brighter than her simple yellow glow as a child. She looked into his face, and realized that it wasn't the same man as the last time. This man had markings down his arms, and wasn't wearing the cross. She felt warm. Happy. They shared a kiss as other brightly burning people stepped out of the house. The man identical to the one she was embracing was among them, his rose gold glow flickering pleasantly along with the others.**_

 _What kind of dream was that, anyway? And why was Xander there, anyway? I can't be... I can't be falling for him. I hardly know him._

I set up the order for pizza, and sat back to wait for Xander. It didn't take long, either. As soon as he entered, he shed his coat to drape it over one of the few chairs. He turned me with a cocksure grin.

"Did I get here quick enough for ya?" He pulled me close to kiss me, and carefully walked us back to the bed. As the back of my knees hit the edge, I fell back and he followed me down, kneeling over me as he dominated me in the kiss. I gave a whimper. Just as his hands had started to trail up under my night shirt, there was a knock at the door.

"That would be the pizza." I grinned at his groan of frustration at being interrupted. I opened the door to pay for the order and took the flirting from the delivery guy in stride. I made sure to have Xander take the pizza from my hands, and the delivery guy immediately clammed up. As I shut the door, he chuckled.

"That was pretty clever. I take it you don't like being flirted with?" X guessed.

"I don't mind, I guess. But, considering the parameters of my mission, I figure it would be best if I acted unavailable to any but you." I reached for the supreme pizza. "Besides, I'm not used to being flirted with. The boys kinda snuffed out any chance of anything like that happening. By the time I was interested in any kind of romantic or sexual relationships, all the guys were too afraid to come near me for fear one of the guys would beat them senseless." I took a bite of my slice as he really looked at me.

"So, your first time having sex... What about kisses? Who was your first?" He questioned. "You just said the guys didn't let guys come near you, but..."

"Jesse. He was my first kiss. It was only because we were being goofy and playing truth or dare. Mia thought it'd be funny. Jesse was really sweet. I miss him." I stared off into space.

"Was?" He asked.

"Jesse was killed a few months back by some wanna be gangsters." I managed to choke out through the tears before setting my slice down.

"Oh." He dropped his gaze to the floor. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. The bastards are dead. I can thank my cop-gone-rogue friend for that." I muttered. I couldn't stomach the thought of food again.

"You should eat, babe." He coaxed. "Gonna need the energy." He tried to joke.

I smiled sadly. "I'll eat in a bit. Gotta let my stomach settle down." I laid back against the headboard, watching him at the foot of the bed.

"So... you have a friend that used to be a cop?" He asked. I snorted.

"Brian might be going back to them someday soon. He was undercover, trying to figure out who was doing the truck heists. Got close to Team Toretto, and I guess he liked the thought of family. Blew his own cover to save the guy in our team that hated his guts. After the shit with Tran, he let Dom go. Gave him the keys to his car and let him take off." I chuckled. "He ate so many tuna sandwiches at the diner."

"What's wrong with tuna sandwiches?" X tilted his head, a string of cheese still trailing down from his chin as he asked with a full mouth.

"Nobody likes Mia's tuna." I laughed. "Honestly, they should have asked me to make the tuna, but they never did. Between Mia and me, I'm the better cook. She still has some dishes she's really good at, but still. Tuna has never been one of them."

"Oh..." He swallowed his mouthful. "So he was into this Mia girl?"

"I've only ever seen that look in his eyes in one other person. Dom, when he looks at Letty." I sighed wistfully. I grabbed up my slice, noting that over half of the pizza as gone. "Now, there's a fairy tale worth wanting to live in." I took a bite.

"Yeah? What do they got that you don't?" He asked as I chewed and swallowed.

"I think it's every little girl's dream to be loved. I just don't believe in the prince on a white horse. I prefer American Muscle." I chuckled. "There's something to be said for taste." He smirked at those words. As if he found something amusing. "What?"

"Nothing." He tried to blow it off. I tilted my head and raised a brow. "Just thinking Dom must have good taste in cars. He got your attention."

"He did have my attention. But his beautiful muscle already had an occupied passenger seat. And I don't do the whole cuckoo chick thing." I waved it off. "Besides, as nice as he looks, our personalities wouldn't mesh well together. I'd burn him out, and get burned in the end."

"So, you're really over him?" He queried.

"Yes." I eyed him warily. "Why do you care, exactly?"

He shook his head. "Just curious." He set the pizza box aside and scooted up to me after I finished my slice. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Whatever you say, Xan." I said, his lips already descending on me.

* * *

The phone rang. "Hello?" I answered, already sure who it was.

"Hey, Meridian. It's me, Xander Cage." His rich timbre was distorted from the line.

"X! Hey. I'm glad you kept my number. What can I do for you?" I purred over the line, careful that the might be able to hear us.

"How do you feel about being my plus one to a party at a club?" He asked.

"Oh! Thank God, I was starting to get bored. Where should I go?" I began setting up my outfit, going with the darker color scheme, A skin tight black crop top, black mini skirt with black and purple tulle petticoats, black and purple striped thigh high stockings, and bondage strap punk chunky heeled boots.

"I was thinking of picking you up in about an hour, actually." He informed.

"I can do that." I chuckled. "I'll be ready. What should I look for?"

"I'll let that be a surprise." He chuckled before the line went dead. I blinked in confusion before setting to work. After getting dressed in the outfit I had prepared, I lined my eyes a bit more than I usually would with kohl, took a while to get my mascara on, and then grabbed my purple lipstick. _All in, girl._ My hair got tugged into pigtails, tight against my skull. _I hate this job._

I waited for him outside ten minutes from the time he said he'd be there. I heard the purr of the engine before I saw the beauty. My jaw dropped, and I felt my heart stutter at the beauty of it. Xander popped his head out of the window with a grin.

"A 1967 Pontiac GTO with a custom hardtop?" I exclaimed. He laughed at my face.

"You look like Christmas came early." He teased. "Here, hop in." He opened the door for me from the inside.

"Oh, baby." I breathed, letting my hand ghost over the hood. "What I wouldn't give to check out what's under the hood."

I slid into the car, feeling elation bubble up inside me.

"You know how to work with cars, too?" He side-eyed me.

"Dom wouldn't let me near a car until I knew all I needed to know about the workings of 'em. Couldn't race until I could do my own maintenance and repairs." I shrugged in explanation.

"Damn." He said in way of compliment. "There anything you can't do?"

"I can't draw for shit. Can't really remember phone numbers really well. Not even my own. And hell if I can't do long division without a pencil and paper." I shrugged. "And according to the team, I can't hang pictures up straight."

He laughed all the way to the club.

* * *

I stared up at the lightening bolts dancing from place to place above our heads. X held my hand, keeping me close, tugging me along. The moment I had revealed my outfit he had been eyeing me appreciatively. And glaring at every man who came anywhere near me. We both noticed Kirill smoking it up.

"Man, why do you do that to yourself? That cigarette's gonna kill you one day." Xander chastized.

"Deja al tipo en paz. Que los pulmones del hombre se vuelvan negros." I gestured to the Russian as I spoke to my partner. "Let him smoke."

"I like smoke better than air. If I could, I'd smoke even in my sleep. I would still do it after it killed me." Kirill joked.

I waved my hand in dismissal, other hand still in Xander's grip. "Algunos hombres están más allá del ahorro."

"You gotta stop talking Spanish at me, babe. I don't understand it." X pulled me closer. We pushed our way to the bar, where he ordered a cranberry club soda, and I called for a mojito. "What is that?"

"Sugar, lime, mint, rum, ice, club soda." I listed off the recipe. "My favorite mixed drink. Authentic Cuban rum is best, but really, any regular rum will do." I offered him a sip.

"Mmm. That's pretty good. And your big bro doesn't know about this?" He questioned.

"He knows. He also knows I don't drink it often. But the tequila is a different story." I explained. "Plus, I don't drink these during his parties. This is for when I'm at home."

Yorgi stepped up on Xander's other side and called for vodka.

"You were talking about Anarchy 99. What is that, some motorcycle gang of yours?" Xander asked as I flagged down the waitress for another mojito.

"Nyet." Yorgi denied. "It's what we've been living since 1999 when we left the army of mother Russia. Many of our comrades died in combat, and we said tohell with this shit! They died for what, politics? Whose politics. Not ours! So we decide from then on to do what we want, when we want. And there on we call ourselves 'Anarchy 99'." They clinked glasses and downed their respective drinks. Xander tugged me along as I grabbed my drink, missing a chunk of Yorgi's little speech. "-America stands for freedom,-"

Xander joined in. "But if you think your free, try walking into a deli, and urinating on the cheese!" I hid the wrinkle of my nose at the thought. _Ewwwww!_

"You got it!" Yorgi exclaimed.

"Anarchy burger by the Vandals." X cited. "Look, I'm with you, but what are you gonna do? Ya got rules, ya got government everywhere. Always was, always will be." He checked to see how I was, by his side. I was still drinking my second mojito, nose still wrinkled.

"Maybe not always." My eyes shot up at Yorgi's face at his insight. He stepped down the stairs, turning back. "Are sure won't get lonely with just that little woman? Yelena could be of some service." He offered. Yelena's face was pinched, giving me an idea of just how _happy_ she was at the thought of being pimped out.

"Nah, this one is actually keeping me pretty entertained." Xander grinned. He leaned in for show, using a stage whisper. "Think I might make her my woman." I hid my smirk as I drank the last of my mojito. Yelena actually seemed angry. _Pick a side, girl. It's either ya like him or you don't. Can't have both._

"Hmmm."Yorgi inspected me for a moment. "Must be something special, then, to tempt you into that." A waitress walked by, and I set my empty glass on her tray.

"Give me a car and track through traffic, and I'll show you how special I am." I grinned. "There's a reason my city's racing king had me on his team."

"Just as daring as he is... Go figure." He snorted before pulling Yelena with him. "Have fun." And with that, he took her elsewhere.

"Want to dance?" Xander asked over the techno thumping off the music.

"Sure, why not?" I grinned slyly. I pulled him down for a kiss before I led him out on the dance floor.


	4. Chapter 4

The drive up was a winding path, and I watched the scenery pass by. I was dozing off in the passenger seat of his car as he drove to our new residency. The castle was nestled in the dip of the mountain, impressive in architecture. Apparently, Xander had gotten in with Anarchy 99 and since he was in, I was in. What's a small woman with a penchant for driving too fast gonna do? I felt the car idle to a stop before I heard his door shut. I was so tired. My door, opened and I quickly took off my seat belt as X grabbed our bags before assisting me out of the car.

"Sweetness, you okay?" He asked, concern written on his face.

"Mmhmm. Just getting sleepy." I mumbled. There were half naked girls

"You weren't this tired the other night. Did somebody slip something in your drink?" He shouldered both bags, despite my weak protests.

"Nah, just didn't sleep well last night. Lack of sleep is just catching up with me." I dismissed.

"Okay, well you hold on to me. Don't want any of these guys getting any ideas." He almost whispered.

"Awww. You're worried about me! Adorable." I teased drowsily. He chuckled.

As soon as we entered, Kirill asked for Yelena's coat.

"Yo, Viktor." X called the burly pierced man over. "What's up with your boy? What's he got, a coat fetish?"

"No. He's in love with her, the filthy fool." He slurred before taking a bowling ball and throwing it into a bunch of priceless antiques that were probably worth a fortune. Each.

Yelena tapped my shoulder. I eyed her questioningly. "You are tired, yes?"

"I'll be fine out here, actually. Getting my second wind." I sidestepped her, trailing after Xander. He sat in a chair, pulling me into his lap.

"I'm surprised you're so tired so soon. Is this your usual bedtime, little girl" Her snide remark had everyone quieted down.

"Oh, no, sweety. I had a visitor last night. Didn't get any sleep. Right, X?" I turned my head to address my partner, watching her face pinch in fury. _You want a cat fight, you'll have to go elsewhere, chica._

The others chuckled at our little tiff. Xander squeezed my hip in his hand for a moment; whether it was in warning or encouragement, I didn't know. He looked around at the other girls.

"Didn't know we were back in middle school." I uttered low enough for only X to hear. He snorted.

"Time for bed, X. Grab your girl and..." Yorgi turned to the brunette. "Yelena. Kindly show them to their room."

Yelena stood, and we followed suit. Xander kept his hand on my lower back, keeping me close at all times. We wandered back into the foyer, waiting for the edgy brunette to show us the way. The clicking of her heels echoed as she turned to the left wing. I rolled my eyes, as I noticed she added a little more swing in her step, trying to draw attention to her ass. _You've gotta be kidding me..._ I eyed Xander, only to find him examining our surroundings. I repressed my laughter, she led us down a hall into what looked like a suite, ass twitching all the way. Xander didn't even seem to notice.

"After you." She said.

"No, after you." X must have wanted to tease her, because he was smirking.

"No, after you." She repeated.

"No, I insist." He said. She had victory in her eyes, and I realized she thought he had been staring at her the whole time. She sashayed into the room, through an open door and pointed out the closed door.

"That's it." She stated.

"Thanks." He muttered before turning to me. "You want me to tuck you in, babe?" He teased.

"That sounds lovely." I replied, eyes on her as I pulled him down for a long kiss. She gave a frustrated tisk, and stomped off. He opened the door to a candle lit room and I grinned. "Romantic." I approved.

"Come on, baby. You haven't gotten any good sleep for a while, and I have to get up early to check shit out." He scooped me up and set me on the bed.

"Mkay." I mumbled, letting my chipper attitude drop and fell back. "Can I just sleep like this?"

"That can't be comfortable." He frowned.

"I don't wanna move..." I groaned. He snorted in amusement.

"I'll take care of that, then." He knelt down and began tugging the boots off, then my stockings. The skirt and petticoats came next, then off came the crop top. He helped me into a looser shirt, then carefully tugged my hair out of the pigtails. I muttered about makeup wipes, and he sifted through my bag for them. He handed them to me, and I scrubbed my face clean while he stared at the photo of my family. "You guys look really close."

"We are." I smiled. "Bring it here." I beckoned, and he slid into bed beside me, in only his thermals, passing me the photograph. "You already know which ones me and Dom are. This blond kid is Jesse. That there's Letty. She was my role model as a woman. That's Mia. That tattooed scruffy guy is Vince. That's Leon. Vince and Leon are dogs, I swear. Can't keep their pants on when women are involved." Pointed each person out. "This is mi familia." I let my fingers trail down the glossy paper.

"They seem like cool people." He pulled me close, and I set the photo on the table by the bed.

"They're the best kind." I muttered, cuddling into him. He stroked my hair as I began to doze off.

"Hope I get to meet 'em." I heard as my dreams claimed me.

* * *

"Wake up." A female voice hissed in my ear. I jolted out of bed, onto the floor, pulling the pistol X had given me earlier and pointing it at the intruder. "Xander has been found out!" Yelena spoke lowly.

"Found out? Found out about what, ya crazy bitch?" I groused before setting my gun to the side. I could see two shadows just outside the door.

"He was an American spy." The brunette crossed her arms, eyeing me.

"A spy? You guys think he's a spy? Man, whatever you guys are on, it must be good. He doesn't seem the spy type to me." I hopped into some form fitting dark wash jeans as I spoke. "Aren't spies like the James Bond type? Or is that just the English ones in movies? What time is it, anyway?"

"He _was_ a spy." She hissed at me. "Now that he's been found out, he's going to be killed. I was sent here to be sure you wouldn't be a problem." I stared into her eyes, seeing some form of desperation in them. _Shit, Xander. You told her? Why does it feel like Yorgi doesn't know? Don't tell me. She's-_

"Nah. He was good, but not _that_ good." I shrugged. "Like I'm gonna date anything like a cop. Next thing I get is jail time cuz he tells the five-oh where my car gets parked. Fuck that."

"I figured you'd be upset. Weren't you together?" She asked.

"Shit, we were together for three nights, total. If I've had leftovers in my fridge for longer, it wasn't a relationship. It was a fling. Besides, you know what my brother would do if he found out I dated a cop type? He'd have my ass." I shook my head. "Not worth it. Now, I get if y'all want me to get my shit go. Don't blame ya." I pulled off the shirt I was wearing, only to realize it was his. I stuffed it in my bag and pulled out a dark purple long sleeve shirt to wear.

"Why don't you stay?" Yorgi asked, leaning against the door jamb.

"Eh. I've got a couple more weeks before I gotta get home. Might as well kick it with some cool people." I shrugged. I picked up my picture of my family and slid it into my pocket while toeing on some converse. "By the way, do you even know where I can find the racing scene? I'm itching to get behind the wheel of a _real_ car." I asked, and he smirked.

"I think I can find you a race." He gestured for me to follow. "Follow me." I eyed Yelena before following after the leader of this ragtag group.

* * *

Kolya was standing on the sideline with the others, eyeing me lecherously. I had an inkling as to what he wanted and wanted to strangle him. I revved my engine in anticipation, waiting for the signal. The woman in between the cars waved the cloth around in an exaggerated manner before letting it drop, and we were off. I managed to nab the lead as we swung a curve, the other three vying for second. Then one of the idiots kicked their NOS too soon. I gave it a moment before kicking my own NOS on just as he started to pass me. I jerked ahead, a full car length between myself and the runner up, coming in first. The crowd was cheering before a wiry man, the runner up, jumped out of his car, pissed. He was shouting at me, though I didn't pay any mind. I stepped out, and addressed the race runner.

"The money?" I held out my hand waiting for my cut. He eyed me speculatively before dishing out my earnings. I smiled and turned back to my car, surrounded by the men of Anarchy 99. "Pleasure doing business with you, boys." I called back with a laugh. I strutted to Yorgi, cocky grin in place.

"That was some race." He complimented, a strange smirk in place. "You really are a racer."

"Yeah, well. I learned from the best there is." I shrugged.

"Your brother." He remembered.

"Yeah." I smiled.

"Tell me, miss Guerra. What would your brother say about your activities here? Would he approve?" He was examining me.

"Hell no." I laughed. "He doesn't even know I drink tequila. And I'd live happily if I never had to bring up the cop type to him. Other than that, everything is right up his alley." I kept my tone light.

"Then drinking and Xander Cage aside, he'd be happy with you?" He tilted his head.

"My whole family hates law enforcement with a passion." I supplied before keeping my face straight as I lied. "They'd all be appreciative of what you do."

"Then welcome, dear, to Anarchy 99." He grinned before Kolya wrapped me in a tight embrace.

"You're going to be my woman, now." The big guy whispered in my ear. I fought the shudder and gave a very convincing plastic grin.

"Sounds like fun." I chuckled.

"It is. Very fun." Yorgi assured me.

* * *

"So, Yelena, Meridian. Through this door, you are with us to the end. Are you sure about this?" Yorgi warned very seriously. Yelena nodded, looking the part of determined.

"I'm sure." She answered.

"I'm with ya." I grinned, keeping the un-effected air about myself like a security blanket. He nodded at our answers before opening the door and leading us down a dark staircase that went pretty far down. Viktor was taking the caboose, boxing us in and preventing us from escaping. At the end, a metal door was opened for us, bringing us into a large open room. It was brightly lit, and held a piece of machinery that reminded me of a submarine. Scientists were walking around, carrying beakers of some liquid or other, others were fixing the sub thing up, and even more were just righting down data on their clipboards.

"Hey!" Kolya's voice boomed through the room as he saw me. He waved with a big smile. I grinned and gave a little wave.

"This is AHAB. Think of it as solar powered submarine." Yorgi gestured to the machine. _Called it._ "It can circumnavigate the globe to reach its target, needing only surface to absorb sunlight, and do its business." Pride colored his voice as he spoke.

"What is it? What is its business?" Yelena asked. I turned back to them.

"Dropping off presents to all the good little boys and girls." He gave a shark like grin. _I hope I made the naughty list, in that case._

"Damn." I whistled. "That's impressive." Kolya sauntered up, wrapping my waist in his arm and anchored me to his side. I really disliked his little possessive streak. Like he owned me. Not to mention, I never agreed to be his woman. He paraded me around, showing of to the others. Viktor gave a lewd grin and Kirill smirked at me. I decided to ignore them as best as I could. Yorgi called one of the men over and said something to him, and he moved to obey.

They brought out a liquid filled missile type thing and set it in what was probably a launch contraption. The anarchist group leader called for champagne, and the scientist began to celebrate. The lead scientist presented Yorgi with the handheld controller for the doomsday device, and an unsettled feeling sunk into the pit of my stomach. As the scientists swung into full celebration mode, Kolya escorted me to the glass enclosure that was shut air tight as soon as we passed the threshold. I had been escorted into a different glass room than Yorgi and Yelena, but I knew he was flicking switches. The missile activated, the liquid slowly turning black in its chamber. The scientists became alarmed, a few coming to get Yorgi to let them in. When it became apparent that he wasn't letting them in, they began to panic. They tried to run for the metal door, but it wasn't budging. Some of the armed men still in there tried to shoot it open, but didn't succeed. The missile launched, detonating against the ceiling. One of the scientists ran to plead for his life at our chamber, but it was too late. Kirill put out his cigarette on the glass in front of the dying man's face as he slid down. Viktor laughed, and Kolya mocked them, pretending to suffocate then laughing. I barely repressed the look of disgust I wanted to shoot at these men.

Kolya pulled me into a brutish kiss, and I held back the urge to retch. I settled for a wry grin. "Easy, tiger." He just grinned in satisfaction. An alarm sounded, and Viktor opened our glass compartment and we poured out. I followed after Kolya, hoping that this was Xander's doing. _I have a new nightmare to dream about, now. These men knew what they were doing, but I would have preferred to have their death penalty sentences officially. Not like this. They didn't deserve this._

"You are coming?" Kolya asked. I pulled out my pistol from behind and showed it off.

"Might as well make use of myself." I grinned. He nodded and dragged me up flashing tunnel. Viktor and Kolya opened fire ahead of me and I hung back a bit. Somebody shot back, hitting a pipe and scattering them a bit. I broke through, running up the steps two at a time. I could hear Kolya and Viktor hot on my heels. We breached open space, to see his dust trail from the entrance to the courtyard. A bike was missing. I ran to one, noting the bandage on it and peeling it off and sticking it to the car beside me, right next to another bandage. I kick started it, and chased after my partner. I heard Viktor shouting something as Kolya followed my lead. The ramp was frozen at an angle, letting me jump over the gate and land beside X.

"Good seeing ya, Xan." I grinned at my bald companion.

"Glad you could join me, sweetness. Heard you got a new man." He teased. We looked up as Kolya jumped the gate. "Fire in the hole." Xander said, pushing the detonator. Kolya was incinerated as the bike exploded. The bike fell to the ground, and we heard the haunting scream of Yorgi for his brother. I kicked on my bike, and followed after Xander.

* * *

We rode to his place. We jumped off at the same time, letting them crash into the wall, and he escorted me in. A figure was seated in the chair in the middle of the room.

"Sova. What're you doing here, man?" He addressed the cop, as he set to work checking his bag.

"First you set me up at the bar. Then you shoot me in the back." Sova said.

"My boss does it to me, I did it to you. It's a vicious circle." X shrugged it off.

"You think it's funny?" The cop growled.

"No I don't think it's funny. You didn't take it personally, did you?" Xander asked.

"It was either that, or let Yorgi kill you." I quipped.

"I did what I had to do to get in. We're still on the same side, remember?" X tried to remind him before getting back to his bag. I was sitting on the bed, noting the gun the cop pulled out.

"I switched sides. You pushed me too far, triple X. And my government doesn't pay quite as well as Yorgi."

"Well my government pays twice as much as Yorgi." X tried to bargain.

"Did you think you could walk into this spy business and have all the angles figured out?" Sova mocked.

"What are you gonna do, shoot me?" X asked.

"I wouldn't recommend it." I piped up.

"Where do you want it, in the head so it'll be quick? Or in the chest for an open casket, so I can see your heart?" The dirty cop grinned maliciously.

"You on't get a shot off." I said, moving closer to X.

"Can I think about it?" Xander quipped. Bullets penetrated the door, nestling into the dirty cops chest cavity, killing him and toppling him backwards. X shied away from the door, but using himself as a shield. The door was kicked open to reveal Yelena. He turned to her. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I heard you talking and could tell where you two were in the room." She explained, moving to check Sova for a pulse that wasn't there. Two more men came in.

"Wanna tell me what you're doing with the Ivans?" Xander questioned. As she rose, he strode toward her. "What's going on?"

"There's something I didn't have time to tell you before." Yelena informed.

"You're a Russian spy." I guessed aloud.

"Yes." Yelena admitted as they both turned to me. Xander began to oscillate his head between us. "FSB. Russian intelligence. Like your CIA. I've been here for two years." The Ivans covered the body and moved him over, elsewhere.

"Two years?" Xander scrubbed his face with his hand. "What was your plan, to let them die of old age?"

"There was no plan. A year and a half ago, intelligence gets reorganized and I stopped getting orders. They forget about me. And I did what I must to survive, you understand?" Yelena explained.

"Man what do I know, I've been an agent for a week. But my boss needs to know what we know now." X stated. "Okay?"

"Okay." She agreed.

"Getting the com link set up, now." I called over, setting up the camera phone thing.

* * *

"The purpose of this submarine is to deploy a binary nerve agent, known as 'Silent Night'. The formula's been missing since the collapse of the Soviet Union in ninety one. And it can kill millions." Gibbons relayed through the com. "We knew they were up to something, you two figured out what it was. Excellent work, triple X. Miss Guerra." He congratulated.

"There was never a sweeper team, was there?" Xander accused.

"Let me put it this way. If I told you not to jump off the empire state building..." Gibbons chuckled.

"Yeah, you're right. I'd definitely do it." X cracked a smile. I giggled. Yelena stared at the two of us like we were insane.

"See? I inspired you. I'm an authority figure, that's what I'm supposed to do." Gibbons supplied.

"So you used reverse psychology on him." I clarified through my giggles.

"Look, my men are on this now. It's time for you two to come home." Gibbons informed us.

"What about Yelena?" X asked, ever the good guy.

"Um... I'm not authorized to give her asylum. But I promise, it'll be done by the time you get here. Come home Xander. Meridian. That's an order." Gibbons said. X clicked the phone closed. We moved out to the roof, looking over the city.

"How soon can Yorgi launch this thing?" He asked.

"You two were told to go home. A-and your people are handling this-" She tried.

"How soon?" I insisted.

"...Soon. But it's not our problem anymore." She protested.

"If they get ahead of schedule, it's everyone's problem." X corrected.

"Look, it's impossible. He's got an army, a fortress. You don't stand a chance." She said, the hope having burned out of her a long time ago.

"I've risked my life for a lot of stupid reasons. This is the first time it's made sense to me." X argued.

"Don't go cop on me, Xan." I teased.

"This is not one of your stunts. You'll die in this, you know that." She plead.

"I know that if you don't go back in there, he's gonna know something's wrong." He sighed.

"You can't ask me to go back there. You can't." She proclaimed. "You wanna know something ironic? I volunteered for this assignment. I wanted to make a difference. I fought for it."

"Then finish it." He spoke with conviction. She turned to him, her eyes flitted to me as I moved to his side.

"You know, if the situation was different, I would have kissed you." She gave a shaky smile.

"I know." He admitted. She walked past us, back inside. I turned back to stare out at the city. "Why are you staying?"

"My family is in danger with this. I'm keeping them safe." I stated. "We'll have to go under for a while." I thought aloud.

"There's a chance we could get split up." He added. "We should have a place to meet up."

"I've already got one." I grinned as I turned to him. "1327." He gave me a questioning stare before I pulled him down for a kiss. _You'll be a part of the family in no time._


	5. Chapter 5

I held on, as Xander skidded up to the police station. "Dude, I should drive." I muttered.

"Next time." He promised as he came to a stop by a gaggle of female police officers surrounding a guy.

"Hey, Shavers. Got new orders from Gibbons. Get in." He called out the window.

* * *

There was a multitude of weapons in front of the GTO. _No, no X don't do it. It's a classic!_ I felt my soul leave my body for a split second. "I want all this in here." X gestured to the weapons before patting the hood of the car.

"Oh, god. This is blasphemy." I uttered. He looked over to me as Shavers nodded.

"Done." The tech agent said.

* * *

"The castle is covered with surveillance cameras." Xander pointed out, waiting for one of the female police officers to translate for the ones who didn't know English.

"That is why we cannot get close enough."One of the men up close said, before repeating for the others to understand. Everyone began to murmur.

"Hang on, hang on. That's why Mer and I need to wipe out the communication tower. Now. Does any body here know how to fly a plane?" X asked, a plan taking shape in his head.

"I can do that." The female officer stepped up. X gave a grin. _Wait, did he say Mer and I? X, what are you gonna have me doing, now?_

* * *

The rush of cold air slapped at my chapping face and I glared at Xander. "I've never boarded before, Xander!" I shouted over the roar of the engine and the howl of the wind.

"You'll do fine!" He shouted back, fighting to be heard over the din, securing our feet properly to our boards.

"Too much turbulance around these mountains!" The woman called back.

"Just get us in line with that mountain! We'll do the rest!" He hollered back.

"If I die, I'm coming back to haunt you!" I informed him loudly. He only laughed at me. We huddled near the door and secured our goggles.

"Go! Go now!" The woman called back. Xander jumped first, and I followed quickly after.

 _Oh, God! I'm seriously doing this! Dom is gonna kill me, if I survive this!_ I made sure to keep my feet pointed toward the snowy ground, while Xander was doing little air tricks. I wanted to scream, but the air was caught in my throat. Xander pulled his chute and I followed suit. We floated down, and as soon as our boards hit the snow, we released our chutes. They sailed up, no longer attached to us, and we started sliding down the mountain.

"I can't believe I'm doing this!" I shouted to be heard. He laughed.

"Guess I'm gonna be there for all your daring firsts, huh?" He teased. "Remember to steer by leaning into your turns a bit."

"Got it!" We continued to race down the mountain, when I saw the path we were on dropped off. "X?!" I cried out.

"Just follow my lead!" He shouted. We jumped off of that one to see another cliff. We slid on our heel-edges, barely stopping in time before being taken off the edge. We eyed the terrain, and I saw a line of snow-mobiles coming our way. He turned to me.

"Do you trust me?" He asked.

"What?" I was alarmed. Nothing came good after 'do you trust me?'. Nothing.

"Do you trust me?" He repeated. I gulped, determined to survive whatever crazy thing he had cooked up.

"I trust you." I answered.

"Good. Let's hope I deserve it." He pulled out grenades.

"Xander Cage, What are you doing with those?" I yelped.

"Gonna set off an avalanche. Stay with me." He pushed the buttons, and tossed them behind us before jumping off the cliff, to which I followed a split second later. The snow gave out under our boards, just as the explosion rocked the mountain. The wave of snow only seemed to grow bigger the further down it went. We raced further down the mountain, and my heart was in my throat. _Don't look back. People who look back always die._ I reminded myself.

The tower came into view, and we jumped onto the antenna as the snow engulfed us. I was so cold. It felt like everything was quiet, so I reached upwards, breaking through the snow. I barely got my hand out when I felt a grip pulling me up. I gasped for breath as I broke through.

"Nothin' like fresh powder." He proclaimed before trying to pull himself out of the snow. I wriggled, trying to get free, myself. No luck.

Giant snow plows were coming our way. "Coño!" I grunted as I gave up. They were already here.

* * *

The doors were opened, Xander and I being dragged in. Yorgi, Yelena, and Kirill were in the room.

"Yelena, my sweet love, did you get confused? Your assignment was to kill the cop _after_ he killed X and Meridian. Not good for undercover agent from Russian intelligence." Yorgi intoned. Kirill looked so betrayed. He pointed his gun at her head, betrayal glittering in his eyes.

"I knew about you all along." He informed her. "And it was my pleasure to twist you and use you how I saw fit." I almost gagged at the thought. He was a complete asshole. He turned to X. "And you. I thought you, of all people, would understand what I'm trying to accomplish. Can you imagine? Imagine a city like Prague vanishing in a cloud of poison gas. Then Hamburg, London, Washington. Imagine them not knowing who did it, so they turn on each other. These guys attack those guys. Those guys invade these guys. Whole world implodes. Imagine all governments disappearing. Then, imagine beautiful, absolute freedom. But none of you three will be there to see it. Like Viktor." He turned his eyes to me, accusing. "Like Kolya." X and I raised our heads high. We weren't ashamed of what we'd done. Kirill handed over his gun to Yorgi, but the anarchist didn't get a shot off before the wall beside us blew. Boxes and debris were strewn around. I coughed as I came to, and dragged myself behind the overturned table. The other two dove over it to join me only moments later. Shots were being fired our way, and I winced. Yelena pulled out her gun to shoot over the table blindly. They fired back, trying to penetrate the wood of the table. When the shots stopped, she cut our restraints before peeking over the table.

"They took the hardrive! They're going to launch AHAB!" She informed. I cursed. We moved to arm ourselves, Yelena opening a hidden gun rack. "Pick one. Both of you." We grabbed the first ones that caught our eye. I eyed mine as we moved, checking for a safety. It was engaged. I disengaged the safety and hoped I had it on the right setting. _A stands for automatic, right?_

We snuck through the halls, before a door opened. They weren't ours. Xander tried to open fire, but it didn't work. He dove to the side and Yelena and I peppered them with bullets. She turned to X and flipped the switch on his gun. "You have to turn the safety off." She commented before Marching forward.

The look on his face was one of bewilderment. He turned to me. "How'd you know about the safety?" He asked.

"All guns have a safety." I shrugged. He frowned. "I thought you knew."

He stood, and we followed after the Russian.

We ran for the basement, only for one of the men to hold us back. " Stop! He's got us pinned down." He explained.

"Shit." X breathed before he saw what looked like a bazooka laying at the cop's feet. "Man, you've got a bazooka. Dude, stop thinking Prague police, and start thinking playstation. Blow shit up!"

"That's not a bazooka. That's a heat seeking rocket launcher." The cop corrected.

"Heat seeking?" X uttered. He picked it up. "Set it." He ordered. The cop did as commanded. He looked up at Yelena and I. "The son of a bitch is smoking." He said as a way of explanation. He stood up to get a good shot and fired. I watched the arc of the rocket as it homed in on Kirill's cigarette. It detonated upon impact and everybody jerked at the sound. "I told him that cigarette would kill him one day."

"And he was right, too. He's gonna smoke for a while after it's killed him." I chimed in. He looked at me with an amused smirk.

"That's morbid, Mer." He teased.

"Shush! Let's go!" I pulled him with me as we descended the stairs. They blew the side door to the canal open, filing us all through. Yorgi was escaping on a boat. He started shooting, killing one of the Ivans. The other screamed for his comrade. Xander held me close as he hid behind one of the pillars. X ran forward and fired at the mad man. He missed the first time, and moved closer to the closing exit. He missed again. He layed just under the closing door and took aim. Shots peppered around him and my heart leaped back in my throat. He fired again. A moment later, an explosion was heard. He got him. The door was closing to fast. X couldn't get out. Yelena grabbed a tank of some sort and wedged it under the closing door and called for help pulling him out. I grabbed and tugged as much as I could before one of the men helped pull him out of danger. Just as he was clear of the door, the tank bent inwards, releasing the gas inside.

"We gotta get moving." X said, running for the stairs. I followed, barely missing his heels. We made it out of the tunnels in record time, trying to get one of the officers to understand him. "We need a helicopter." Yelena translated. We were interrupted by the familiar purr. The three of us turned to see the GTO cruising to a stop.

"There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you, this tank will damn near fly now. I did everything you asked, and you really screwed me on this one. Gibbons didn't authorize any of this. He's gonna hang us both out to dry. I'm gonna lose my job-"

"Agent Shavers, I'm giving you a field promotion." Xander pulled off the strap to his gun. "Take over, finish the mop up. You're in charge." He turned me. "Mer. You're driving. Let's put that racing skill to good use."

"On it." I gave a playful salute before ducking into the car. "Oh, _baby_ , I've been meaning to get behind your wheel." I ghosted my hands down the edges of the steering wheel.

"Is she alright?" Yelena asked as X slid into the back seat.

"She's an American Muscle fan." He explained. I revved the engine, and Shavers ran back to the car.

"Waitwaitwaitwaitwaitwait!" He handed Yelena a booklet. "You almost forgot the manuel. You're gonna need this. Hey X?" Xander raisd a brow at him. "Go kick some ass." He pulled away, and I gunned it, leaving a trail of dust in my wake.

"How come nobody expects me to kick ass? What am I, the designated driver?" I shifted gears.

"You can kick ass, too." He placated.

I raced down the slope, toward the river, trying to stay parallel to the rocket. I put the pedal to the floor to catch up with AHAB.

"That thing must be going eighty miles an hour. How do we stop it?" Xander asked.

"This is slower than my usual speed." I commented.

"You can't! The controls are on the submarine itself. See that hub? The hard drive is in there." Yelena explained.

"Well you've got the manual. See if there's anything in this baby that can be used." Xander instructed.

"He has very bad hand writing." Yelena complained. X and I gave a short groan. "Flame thrower, mini-bombs, exploding hubcaps, rocket launchers; this thing is a tank. We can't use any of it on AHAB. Silent Night only breaks down in deep water."

"I'm gonna have to get on it." Xander finally decided aloud.

"The fuck you say?" I almost shrieked.

"It's the only way. I'm gonna have to get on it." It didn't seem any of us were happy about this revelation.

"I fucking hate this mission." I growled. Xander was hyping himself up to go when the road detoured away from the river. "Fuck!" I shouted.

"Does this road lead back to the river? Check the GPS, Yelena!" Xander ordered.

She followed the road on the GPS before finally, "Yes, in fifty miles In the town of Divaldi!"

"Why are we yelling!" I finally shouted. They both looked at me. "I'll speed us there in no time."

I sped down the road, ignoring the road signs.

"There's gotta be something here we can use." Xander insisted.

"Harpoon gun, parachutes built into seats, ejectable roof... It's all useless!" She denounced.

"How far along are we?" He asked.

"The river is just beyond the next village." She crowed, over joyed.

"And we still don't have a plan?" I asked, dimming her fire. "Oh you have _got_ to be _kidding_!" Up ahead, a truck was overturned. Trailing behind it was three carts of potatoes, blocking the road. "I'm going through it. Use the rocket launcher." I ordered.

Yelena flicked a switch, and flames blocked my view of the road. She quickly turned it off.

"That's the flame thrower! Use the rocket launcher!" X instructed.

"It's not my fault, I told you, he has bad hand writing!" She huffed.

"HIT IT!" I shouted. She flicked another few switches and rockets shot out of the headlights. They blew the middle cart sky high, and we passed through the flames. "Hot potato!" I called out as the spuds rained down. We were back on track.

"Shavers had more than this to work with. Go back to the manual, I know there's more than this." He commanded. Yelena flipped through the pages.

"Weapons. There are more weapons here on the back." She pushed a few buttons and he sat up as the back seat flipped over to reveal an armory. He seemed to be thinking for a moment.

"Switch seats with me." He ordered her.

"What?" She shrieked.

"Switch seats with me!" He repeated. They flailed as they re-situated themselves, while I swerved through the light traffic.

"You're crazy!" She shouted. Xander looked at me as he pulled the pack with the chute off to use.

"Pass me the harpoon gun!" His voice brooked no arguments. She passed it to him.

"What are you doing?" She cried.

He ignored her as he set the rope to his harness. "Xander, talk to me, what are you doing?" She tried again.

"You said there was an ejectable roof?" He asked.

"Yeah, right here." She pointed out.

"Pull it." He demanded. She obeyed, and the roof went flying back.

"Don't you die on me, Xan." I shouted over the wind. I knew what he was doing. He took aim.

"Shit! It's out of range!" Babe, there's a bridge get on it." He called down.

"On it! Hang tight!" I yelled back. I accelerated as I drifted through curves and almost flew down streets and around corners to get on the bridge. "This is no Pixie Dust, but she sure can fly!" I rocketed over the bridge before turning off to the road that was almost touching the bank of the river. X took aim again. He shot, and the harpoon embedded itself in the side of it. Yelena and I gave whoops of success.

"I wish I had a video camera!" He announced.

"What're you talking about?" Yelena asked.

"This is gonna be one hell of a trick." He pulled his chute, lifting into the air from the drag. Yelena gasped. I stayed parallel to the sub, watching as he zip lined down from the chute to the sub and barely missed getting slammed into the bridge. Just as he landed, the harpoon got jerked out of the panel.

"Shit, he's crazy." She gasped. I grinned.

"Ain't he just?" I replied, warmth bubbling up in my chest.

I watched him climb up the the bubble hub and start working on the hard drive. We were cutting it close. Three rockets slowly popped up, and I fought to keep my eyes on the road and on my partner at the same time. I pulled up to the bridge in front of him, watching helplessly as air strike also closed in. X looked back, then pulled the missile from it's launching pad and slid it back in upside down. Just as he was approaching our bridge, he jerked out the hard drive, making AHAB do a nose dive just as the missile started to try to take off. The sub sank down and only mere moments later, the water splashed up in a watery explosion. My heart sank. _Where's Xander?_

"Xander?" My voice warbled as tears filled my eyes. I ignored the others as I searched the waters for any sign of him. I heeard Gibbons offering Yelena asylum like he promised, and tried my hardest not to punch him. Then it occurred to me to look on the other side. He could have been thrown pretty far, water in the way or not. I ran to the other side to see him emerging from the water. "Guys?" I called. "Guys!" I shouted back at them, jumping to get their attention. Yelena rushed over first to peer over the edge.

"I don't believe it." She breathed. "Come quick, come quick! He's alive!" She called to the agent. Gibbons sprinted over to look as well, followed by the others.

"X!" Gibbons shouted in disbelief at the shivering spy below. He turned to his assistant. "Get a boat dow there and get him out, double time." He ordered. The guy nodded and took off. "Go!"

"Bora Bora!" Xander shouted from below.

"What? I can't hear you!" Gibbons shouted. He didn't bother repeating for us, it seemed. I laughed out loud.

"He's alive." I breathed, relief flooding through my system.

* * *

"You're getting burned." I sighed at my careless counterpart before rubbing sun block against his chest. We were staying at a tropical bungalow in Bora Bora, enjoying the down time. The com blinked on.

"Xander, Meridian, you there?" Gibbons asked. We stayed silent as I continued to rub the lotion into his chest. "I know you're there, you two. I've got you on enhanced satellite imaging." He intoned. Xander and I looked up and I flicked it off with a grin, though I couldn't see it. "Very mature, miss Guerra. I need you two to come in now. You've been away for a month now, and something has come up. You're both being targeted by another anarchist group that was in league with Anarchy 99. Come in so we can keep you both under protection."

"Fuck that." I grumbled.

"Oh, and... You two passed the test. The Gibbons test." He signed out.

"You gotta be kidding me." Xander snorted before he sat up and pulled me with him as he jumped into the water. As we surfaced, he pulled me close, the two of us treading water to stay afloat. "What say we go to that little food shack and get some grub?" He asked, pulling me in for a short kiss.

"So long as that isn't literal." I joked. He chuckled and let me go do that I could climb back up to tie on my sarong.

"Sweetness, you really are gorgeous." He purred, resting his head on his arms against the wooden floor.

"Yeah, yeah. Get up here and get dressed." I chuckled at him. He obeyed, sauntering by and smacking my ass teasingly. "Xander!" I warned. He only answered with a roguish smile. I flushed. "Get dressed, ya cocky shit." I ordered playfully.

"Yes ma'am." He jokingly saluted.

* * *

We arrived at the shack, ribbing each other like old friends and laughing at the antics he got up to in the past. The shack was pretty packed, but we'd managed to get a table near the water. We were trading jokes, when the waitress wobbled up to us. She was nervous. We eyed her before having a wordless conversation. He nodded.

"W-what can I get you two?" She asked. I inspected her, noting the similarities in build.

"Grilled shrimp for me." I replied.

"I'll take the burger." He pointed to his choice. She nodded shakily and walked away, barely having written our orders.

"She's really shaken about something." I muttered.

"Yeah. And that guy isn't a cook." X added.

"We need to go-" The blast rocked through the little restaurant. The last thing I saw before the blast was Xander's face, eyes wide in shock.


	6. Chapter 6

It was almost a year later, when team Toretto had finally gotten over their grief to an extent, that a strange car parked in front of their house. Mia frowned as she stared out of the window, watching the car for any sign of familiarity. Dom stood next to her, also eyeing the unfamiliar vehicle. Then the driver door opened, and out stepped a strangely familiar figure. At the sounds of disbelief from the siblings, the others migrated to the window, only to gape in shock. A man that looked like Dom was strolling up the sidewalk. They filed out of the house, not sure what to with the tattooed man.

"Can we help you?" Mia spoke up bravely.

"Yeah. This is the place Mer said to meet her here if we got separated. Name's Xander Cage." The man had a bass identical to Dom's own voice. It was highly unsettling. "She here?"

"You knew Mer?" Dom asked. His voice threatened to break at the mention of his little sister.

"We were partners in that crazy mission. She said she'd leave you a letter." He shrugged. "Might'a heard of our supposed deaths."

"You sayin' our sister could still be alive?" Vince growled.

"I'm sayin' if I survived, there's no way she didn't." Xander replied, not phased by Vince in the least. "She's just as strong as me, and twice as smart if not more." He smirked. "And a helluva better driver. Look, she wouldn't die from something like that. We weren't even in the main part of the blast."

"You're sure?" Dom stepped up, eyeing his doppelganger. "Don't tell me she's alive unless you're sure."

"She's alive." Xander crossed his arms, standing tall. "No way in hell that she ain't." He perused his untatted doppelganger. "You must be Dom. Nice to meet you."

"Lost Boy could be alive?" Letty barely breathed. The team watched their leader through the corners of their eyes, careful of any sign of a breakdown. Letty spoke up a bit louder. "Why hasn't she come home then?"

"We were targeted by the big brother of the leader of Anarchy 99. I guess she didn't want to get you guys in the crossfire. I figured a year would be enough time to pop up here, figured she'd beat me here. She may be trying to be sure nobody is lookin' for her." He shrugged. "Look, I'm an extreme sports stunt puller. Not that great of a spy. And I didn't know her long before we got separated, so I don't know her habits that well. But I know she'll be here sometime soon. I just gotta wait here til she gets back." He eyed the house across the road. "That her place? Gave me the key to it for if I got here first."

"You plan on staying in our little sister's house?" Vince glared. Everyone seemed a bit tense. Dom was flexing his jaw in barely concealed irritation.

"She _did_ say that's where I should stay." Xander shrugged nonchalantly. "Hell, we're partners. We've shared rooms. I highly doubt sharing a house will be an issue."

Team Toretto eyed him in disbelief. Then Dom snorted in amusement, catching everyone but his look alike off guard. "Her bills are paid, but you'll want to air the place out. The air conditioning hasn't been used in a year. And you'll want to grab food for the place." He informed the tattooed man. "Lost Boy trusted you enough with her keys, and that's good enough for me."

"Are we seriously just going to let him waltz right in there?" Vince nearly exploded as he pointed accusingly at the house in question.

"You saying you don't trust Mer's judgement?" Dom retorted, taking the scruffy man aback. "She always was a good judge of character, and you know it."

"Well, I'll let you guys sort that out while I take my bag in." Xander waved as he retreated back to his car.

"Hey, Cage." Dom called out. Xander stoppped his trek across the street and turned to face the group. "Every Sunday, we have a barbeque. Don't be late, or all the food's gonna be gone. Leon and Vince are black holes."

Xander grinned. "Will do. And just so you know. My friends call me X."

* * *

A few months came and went, and hope was being sucked from the group. Even Xander began to seem less cheerful. His shoulders slumped more and more with each passing week. The fire that seemed to warm the Toretto home seemed to slowly dim, leaving the atmosphere a lukewarm that could be too much for any of the team at times. When it got too bad, Dom could be found working on Pixie Dust. A few tweaks and adjustments, and it was in pristine shape, but he never seemed to stop checking it over.

Leon didn't want to get in Dom's way with the mechanics, so he took to redoing the paint job. Where the 94 mustang had once been gold, he traded with a jade green and gold pearlescent paint job. Then there was a thick, but smooth swirl of metallic gold that faded into glittery sparkles across the body. Vince helped him finish her off, and clean her up, inside and out.

Sometimes Mia or Letty would just take her for a spin. Just a trip around the block with the windows down.

Xander tried to hide his worry, tried to avoid the growing doubt in his mind as he held her pillows close. He could still catch the scent of her shampoo now and again, and the scent of rosemary and mint would envelope him for just a short moment, and he'd feel at home. Then it would disappear and he was left feeling cold and alone.

Two months since Xander showed up, another car screeched to a halt in front of the Toretto house. Immediately, Xander moved to the window to see if it was his lost partner. The figure was male. He turned away just as the others raced to the window with hope in their eyes. It was dashed as a blond haired man exited the vehicle. They still filed out, all arms crossed. Xander watched from inside.

"You got some nerve, showing up here, O'Conner." Vince sneered. The other's faces were still glum and confused.

"I know I've done a lot of wrongs to you guys. I just wanted to come and apologize." Brian raised his hands in surrender.

"You should be apologizing to Mer. Brian, how could you get her mixed up in all that mess?" Mia's voice broke as she teared up.

"Wait, what? What are you talking about?" Brian reeled back on his heels. "What happened to Mer?"

"Government type took her for a mission. She was pronounced dead about a year ago." Dom informed the former cop. "But her partner doesn't think she's dead."

"Oh, God. No, guys. That wasn't me. I had nothing to do with that. I didn't know she was even gone." Brian's eyes were wide as saucers.

"You the cop-gone-rogue friend she mentioned?" Xander exited the house to stand on the porch with the others. Brian did a double take.

"Uh, Dom? You have a brother?" He gawked in confusion.

"Nah. We're not related at all. This is Xander, Mer's spy partner." Dom introduced. "And yeah, X. That's Brian."

"Mer said you were a good guy." Xander nodded. "Said you were still family to her. Wished she'd gotten a picture of you with the others." Brian's eyes misted over as he spoke. Mer was like a little sister to him. "She'll be glad to see you back here."

"She'll be... you think she's still alive?" Brian asked. The others tensed and it was like a cloud of gloom rolled over team Toretto.

"She is. Just all of you wait. She'll pop up at the most unexpected moment." Xander promised, though he wasn't sure anymore. The gloom seemed to lift again, with Xander's reassurance. But it felt like another weight was placed upon his shoulders. He missed his girl. Where was she?

* * *

"Vince, you grabbed first, you say grace." Dom ordered the scruffy man. Vince barely held back a groan.

"Okay, uh... Dear Lord, thank you for this meal, thank you for the gas in our tanks, and the speed to burn through it. Thank you for the family we have and have had. In your name, Amen." Vince opened his eyes, and reached for another scoop of potatoe salad. "Did anybody grab more Corona?" Dom, Vince, Leon, and Letty seemed to burn through the bottles quickly these days, and it worried Mia, Brian and Xander. Brian had decided to stick around for the past few weeks, and he and Mia had grown closer each day.

"No, I don't think we grabbed any." Mia commented, reaching for some chicken. Vince cursed under his breath but stayed seated.

"Good thing I brought some for you guys when I decided to grab a twelve pack of Dr. Pepper." A familiar voice had everyone freeze where they sat as they turned to look at the tiny figure strutting up to the table. They all scrambled to get out of their seats, but Xander beat everyone to it as he enveloped her in a bear hug before twirling her around and giving her a sound kiss on the lips. "Glad to see you made it, Xan." Again, everyone was frozen in shock before Vince was the first to pull him away from her.

"What the fuck? You said she was your partner." He snarled.

"She is. Not just spy partner. She's my girl." Xander shrugged. "I thought you guys had realized by now. I kept dropping hints."

Dom stared hard at his look alike as he moved to the youngest team member's side. "You're saying you and Mer are together?"

"Yes. That's what he's saying. Vince, I thought you outgrew the whole threatening every guy that came near me phase." The tiny half- Cuban teased as she side stepped everyone to stand by the trick stunt man. "Sorry I'm late. Had the guy at the cash register inspecting my ID for way longer than necessary. There still food for me?"

"Always, Lost Boy." Letty beckoned over for a hug. Meridian was more than happy to oblige. Mia was the next to pull her into a hug.

"You break her heart, I'll break your neck." Dom warned.

"I won't stop you." Xander replied before moving to sit by his woman.

"Where am I sitting?" Mer asked.

"My lap is open." X teased before pulling her down to perch on his knee. She grinned before planting a kiss on his lips. Vince cleared his throat rudely, giving Xander the stink eye.

* * *

"She's really back." Letty sighed. All the tension in Dom's muscles had relaxed, now that their Lost Boy was home. "Thank God."

The others silently agreed as they watched their little sister talk animatedly to the tattooed bald man as he listened with the biggest shit eating grin on his face while she straddled him to talk face to face.

"Does anybody else find it weird how she's dating a guy that looks and sounds exactly like Dom?" Leon asked. The others made grunts in affirmative.

"He may _look_ like Dom, but he doesn't act anything like him. He's good for her." Mia piped in.

"Yeah... She could do worse." Dom muttered as he pulled Letty closer, content, now that his broken family was back together again.

"I think the real test to that will be when he comes to the races next weekend." Vince grunted. "He may not race, but those girls are gonna swarm him." The others couldn't keep the laughter at bay, and it caught the couple's attention.

"¿Qué tiene de divertido?" Meridian asked, causing further guffaws and chuckles. "Something I said?"


End file.
